The SOMM Journal

December 2014/January 2015

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30 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014/2015
{
by the glass
}
WHEN A STEAKHOUSE IN CARNIVORE-CRAZED Chicago gets
a top ranking from a local restaurant critic, the award isn't based
solely on whether meat is wet-aged or dry-aged, or if it has the most
turned tables on a Saturday night. The market is so saturated with
steak, it's as if the Chicago River is flowing with au jus.
But David Burke's Primehouse is a standout mostly because of a
forward-thinking sommelier, and his embrace of the Coravin Wine
Access System. The Coravin allows for pouring any amount of wine
without pulling the cork, and prevents oxidation from affecting what
remains in the bottle. Primehouse's enthralled customers—rather
than eating, drinking and running—are sticking around to experiment.
Matthew Bills, Certified Sommelier, directs Primehouse's wine
program. He was instantly transfixed by the Coravin, and knew
his customers would have the same reaction. Within a month, he
secured the device for the restaurant. The timing was ideal: the
Drawing on Opportunity
THE CORAVIN DELIVERS MORE
THAN WINE AT DAVID BURKE'S
PRIMEHOUSE IN CHICAGO
by Tom Caestecker, Jr. / photos by Jacob Hand
Primehouse Chicago Sommelier
Matthew Bills utilizes the Coravin Wine
Access System to highlight his Cellar
Glass Pour program, a list of about a
dozen rare and high-demand wines.
Matthew Bills outfits his Coravin with a
Vintage Cork Needle—designed for older
corks—to pour the 1999 Fisher Coach
Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon.